Strap-end retaining device



Oct. 23, 1951 E. PREsTlNARi 2,572,384

STRAP END RETAINING DEVICE Filed July l, 1947 v lNvENToR. EUGEN PRESTI NARI BY MaJ/v, mv

ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 23, 1.951

OFFICE l STRAP-END RETAINING DEVICE Eugen Prestinari, Summit, N. .1., assignor to Gemex Company, Union,

Application July 1, 1947, Serial No. 758,279

(Cl. .Z4-182) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a bracelet construction, and more in particular to a retaining device or slide for holding the loose end of a bracelet section.

An object of this invention is to provide a simple, light-weight and sturdy slide construction which is practical from all standpoints, and which` is economical to manufacture. A further object is to provide a construction of the above character which is neatin appearance and which otherwise satisfies the most stringent requirements of the art. These and other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out below.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts as will be exeinplied in the structure tovbe hereinafter described and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of the invention:

Figure 1 is a top plan View of a portion of a bracelet assembly having the features of my in- Vention incorporated therein;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the assembly of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a sectional View on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

The present invention is related to that of my co-pending application Serial No. 708,314, led November 7, 1946, entitled Bracelet Construction, now abandoned. The present invention is concerned with an improved slide construction which is particularly adapted for use with the bracelet construction of that `co-pending application.

Referring particularly to Figure 1, there is shown the end of a bracelet section I which is shown broken oif at the left-hand side of the iigure, and which extends from there to the right through a buckle I 3 having a prong I2. As shown in Figure 2, buckle I3 is attached to a bracelet section II which is positioned beneath the free end of section I0 and which is shown broken off at the right. When the bracelet is in use section I I is held taut, as is also the left-hand portion of section IIJ, and the ends (not shown) of the two sections extend to the opposite side of the wrist of the wearer, where they are attached to a watch or the like. The free end of section I0 is provided with a plurality of holes I5 through which prong I2 may be projected and at the extreme end there is an end plate I4.

Each of sections III and II is formed by a series of frame-like links I'I alternated with and connected together by a series of plate-like links I8. Referring to Figure 3, each link I 'I is formed 2 from a strip of flat metal and has parallel top and bottom walls and parallel `side walls, and the endsrare opened so as to receive the respective cross bars on the two joining links I8. l

Positioned at the right of buckle I3 is a slide w 20 formed by a pair of generally rectangular loops 22 and 24 and a connecting strip 26. Each of the,

loops is of suchconguraton and size that it receives the. two overlapped sections of the bracelet in the manner shown, having bottom, top and side bars deningvthe opening in the loop. Strip 26 extends beneath. the bracelet section I I and has at its ends integral ears which clamp the two loops, holding themA in spaced relation with their openings in alignment. There is a single ear 28 at the right, but as shown best in Figure 4, the central portion of the left-hand end of the connecting strip is cut away so as to form two spaced ears 30 and 32. The slide is provided with a leaf spring retainer 34 which extends along the top of connecting strip 26 and has at the left an integral' ear portion 36 which is positioned between ears 30 and 32 and which clamps loop 22. Retainer 32 has at its other and free end at the right an integral shoe portion 38 reaching into the loop 24 at the right end of the slide, and as shown best in Figure 3 the retainer is curved so that the shoe portion is urged upwardly toward the top of loop 24. The shoe 38 at the free end of the leaf spring, in the unstressed condition of the spring, is spaced from the top bar of loop 24 a distance less than the combined thickness of the two bracelet sections. Thus, with the two sections I0 and II positioned in the loops as shown, the spring tension urges the shoe portion upwardly so that the two sections are resiliently held against the top of loop 24. In this way the free end of section I0 is held in the loops and the slide is held from free sliding movment along section II. When desired, the end portion of section I0 may be easily removed from the loops, and it may be inserted readily. That is, slight pressure on the top of the en d of section I'll pushes the shoe of the retainer down so that the sections are no longer clamped in the loop 24.

Ear 36 is formed by projecting the end of the retainer downwardly between ears 30 and 32 and then clockwise (Figure 3) beneath loop 22 and around over the top of the bottom run of the loop. It has been found that this arrangement provides a secure attachment and the retainer is held without undue stress and without a marked tendency for ear 36 to open up. The conguration of the top of shoe 38 is such that it slides readily along the bottom of section II. However, with the link arrangement shown there are spaces between links II where the shoe tends to ride toward the top of loop 24, and as the slide moves along the links the slide tends to stop 3 at these denite positions. Thus the moving of the slide along the section involves a varying force; that is, the variation in the eilective thicknessl of the two bracelet sections is utilized to cause the slide to be retained.

While there has been shown and described the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single embodiment it will' bei un-v derstood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

I' claim:

I. A slide for holding` the loose end of one section of a bracelet that extends ,through a buckle, the buckle being attached to another section of the bracelet, said slide comprising a pair of generally rectangular loops adapted to receive the overlapped sections of the bracelet, eachv loop having bottom, top, and side bars deflning the opening of the loop, the loops being held in spaced relation with their openings in alignment by a connecting strip attached at its end's to the bottom bars of the loops, and a leaf spring attached to the slide toward one end thereof and extending alongv the top of the connecting strip and having its other and free end reaching` into the loop at the other end of the slide, the leaf spring curving upward away from the connecting strip toward its free end, so that its, free end, inthe unstressed condition of the spring,l is spaced from the top bar of said loop at said other end` of the slide a distance less than the combined thickness of the two bracelet sections.l

2.'A slide as set forth in claim 1 wherein the connecting strip is made of metal and is4 attached at. its, ends to the bottom bars of the loops by having ears bent around the bottom bars.

3. A slide for holding the loose end of one section of a bracelet that extends through a buckle, the buckle being attached to another section 0f the bracelet, said slide comprising a pair of generally rectangular loops adapted to receive the overlapped sections of the bracelet, each loop having bottom, top and side bars defining the opening of the loop, the loops being held in spaced relation with their openings in alignment by a metal connecting strip having an ear at one end bent around the bottom bar of one loop, the strip having itsl central portion at its other end cut away to form two transversely spaced ears which are bent around the bottom bar of the other loop, and a leaf spring having an ear at one end extending between the two ears at said other end of the stripand bent around the bot-- tom bar of said other'loop, the spring extending along the top of the strip and having its other and free end reaching into the said one loop, the leaf spring curving upward away from the str-ip so that its free end, in the unstressed condition of the spring, is spaced from the top bar of said onel loop a distance less than the combined' thickness of the two bracelet sections.

EUGEN PRESTINARI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date '707,241 Knapp Aug. 19, 1902 744,809 Shepherd Nov. 24, 1903.

1,100,389 Miller June 16, 1914;

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 200,873 Germany Y v. Aug. 1 1908 309,941 Great Britain Aug. 21, 1929. 349,657l Great Britain Y June 4, 1931 

